I have lived in Los Angeles County for most of my life and will likely move to North Carolina for law school, and perhaps for the long haul. Does anybody have any opinions about living in North Carolina? Personally, I really hate Los Angeles: I cannot stand the pollution, the traffic, the high cost of living, and the rude people. I would prefer a more quiet, rural setting for my future (I love the outdoors, hiking, fishing).

exitlane wrote:I have lived in Los Angeles County for most of my life and will likely move to North Carolina for law school, and perhaps for the long haul. Does anybody have any opinions about living in North Carolina? Personally, I really hate Los Angeles: I cannot stand the pollution, the traffic, the high cost of living, and the rude people. I would prefer a more quiet, rural setting for my future (I love the outdoors, hiking, fishing).

North Carolina is everything California isn't. Based on your standards, you would love it. There's great fishing across the state, and you can do all the "outdoorsy" stuff you can imagine. Traffic is rarely bad (unless you're in 5:00 traffic in Raleigh/Greensboro/Charlotte -- other times of the day, they're not too bad at all, especially compared to LA). Cost of living is relatively low with the exception of places like Cary, upscale parts of Raleigh, etc. Even coastal areas are relatively cheap. Pollution won't be a problem either. If you like rural (as you say you do), you'll be just fine. It's an agricultural state for sure. It's the largest tobacco producing state, and the swine industry is huge. That said, it isn't hard to find a town/city that will meet your needs while still allowing you to remain in the country. Even Raleigh is only 20 minutes from the middle of farm country.

On the flip side, the humidity is never-ending. It's hot and humid in the summers and cool and wet in the winters. We have at least a couple of hurricanes in the fall most years, but they're usually only bad every few years.

That said, I love it and would never consider living anywhere else on a permanent basis. If you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me.

I lived in NC for a brief time, and lifestyle-wise, it's one of the best experiences I've ever had. I've been accepted to UNC and if I end up going, location will be the driving reason.

I don't know if this means anything to you, but North Carolina is what Virginia was a decade ago – kind of a buffer state between the north and south with the best of both worlds. It's very green with water everywhere (the fishing is awesome), great hiking trails and some of the nicest people I've ever been around. If you're going to be in the triangle area, you're only about 2.5 hours from the outer banks, which is pretty indescribable. I bought a cheap kayak off craigslist and spent nearly all my free time on the sounds or out on the lakes. Sorry if I'm sounding like a chamber of commerce brochure, but I really do love the place. Based on what you've offered about yourself, I assume you will too.

I've lived in NC for most of my life and I went to college at Duke, so I can tell you pretty much anything you want to know. The triangle area is lovely and getting better all the time - it has really expanded in the last 5-10 years as the diversification of the economy has picked up (banking in Charlotte, for example, and high tech/pharma in Raleigh). Please feel free to PM if you you have any specific questions about the Durham/Chapel Hill area, with which I am the most familiar, or about anything else. Matteliszt, feel free as well. Good luck with your decisions!

One of the major reasons my California friends and family caution me against leaving the state is the possibility of differential treatment based on my ethnic status, Mexican American. Plus, my girlfriend is Vietnamese and I was just wondering if people in North Carolina would be taken aback by such an arrangement? I know this sounds ridiculous but I have even experienced disapproving glances and comments in California for dating her.

exitlane wrote:One of the major reasons my California friends and family caution me against leaving the state is the possibility of differential treatment based on my ethnic status, Mexican American. Plus, my girlfriend is Vietnamese and I was just wondering if people in North Carolina would be taken aback by such an arrangement? I know this sounds ridiculous but I have even experienced disapproving glances and comments in California by dating her.

Which school are you thinking of going to? The Raleigh/triangle area, where UNC is, is as tolerant as any American city. At this point it's mostly yankee transplants anyway. The western part of the state is considerably more rural and conservative, so if you're going to Wake Forest, you might get a little bit more of that. But either way, North Carolina is not Mississippi. I wouldn't worry about it.

exitlane wrote:One of the major reasons my California friends and family caution me against leaving the state is the possibility of differential treatment based on my ethnic status, Mexican American. Plus, my girlfriend is Vietnamese and I was just wondering if people in North Carolina would be taken aback by such an arrangement? I know this sounds ridiculous but I have even experienced disapproving glances and comments in California for dating her.

North Carolina actually has a very high Hispanic population, so you certainly wouldn't stand out there. As the poster before me noted, (unfortunately) a lot of the folks in the triangle are yankees. The eastern part of the state has fairly high African American and Hispanic populations. The western part of the state is basically white folks and the few real Cherokees left up that way. There are Hispanics and African Americans up that way, but those populations are concentrated east of Raleigh (I-95 area). Of course, there are bound to be exceptions to this (Charlotte/Greensboro/etc.), but I am speaking mainly to the rural areas.